Spring is upon us! March 20th, the Sun enters Aries at 2:01 am Pacific time. Happy equinox and International Astrology Day! I always love how the air smells when the world starts to bloom again. “Picture a bright blue ball just spinning, spinning free!” We can all look forward to longer days and the warmth of the Sun. Our cosmic weather this month includes a big shift in the collective vibe as Neptune enters Aries March 30th. But first, we have some periods of reevaluation as both Venus and Mercury turn retrograde this month.
March opens with Venus stopping in the sky at 10°50’ Aries, March 1st, 4:36 pm. Venus is retrograde until April 12th; a good time to reassess and reimagine how you relate to those closest to you. Relationship is always about negotiation. Where do you need to be more assertive and claim your right to take up space? On the flip side, where can you take the initiative and lead in providing for what your partner needs? Somewhere in the cosmic dance you do with others you need courage. Venus is also about our creative self. Take the steps you may need to allow your own inner muse to come out. By March 27th, Venus retrograde reenters Pisces. Use creative visualization to work compassionately with others and to inspire your artistic imagination. “It’s dizzying, the possibilities.”
On March 13th, we have a total lunar eclipse, 23°56’ Virgo, 11:54 pm. The Sun in Pisces is together in the sky with Saturn, and Neptune is nearby at the very end of the sign of the fishes. A Full Moon in Virgo is about manifesting your skills as master craftsperson, about letting yourself shine through your gifts of service. Slower moving Saturn and Neptune have been asking us to visualize where we need to mature in our creative or spiritual journey. Now the eclipse is saying, how are you going to make real and practical your dreams? Look to see where the Full Moon and Pisces planets fall in your own birth chart. Eclipses can impact us about six months before and after.
Mercury turns retrograde at 9°35’ Aries March 14th, 11:46 pm. Just a day after the eclipse, this Mercury has great strength as the planet of ideas and perception stops, waking us up to some ways we can take action and make a difference as spiritual warriors. What a great time to rethink how we can take a chance on defending what is important to us or embarking like a pioneer into new frontiers. Mercury retrograde is not a moment for action, but rather introspection about how best to act later in April and May.
Mercury reenters Pisces March 29th. Both Venus and Mercury conjunct Neptune at 29° the end of the month. At the same time, the New Moon occurs at 9°00’ Aries, a partial solar eclipse, March 29th, 3:57 am. Neptune has been in Pisces since 2011. These past fourteen years have been characterized by a low road of delusion, misinformation and escapism but, on a high road, by a rekindling of spirituality in various forms (just think of the huge renaissance in astrology since 2011) and an interest in growing in consciousness. Now the cosmic sky is saying what do we do with all this expansion in consciousness? How do we act as spiritual warriors in a world full of conflict, division, greed and planetary destruction? We all have a role to play.
These retrograde periods are planting seeds for a major cosmic event, Neptune entering Aries, 5 am in the morning on March 30th. Neptune in the sign of the pioneer, the initiator and defender, will last until May, 2038 (with a brief return to Pisces this October until January 26, 2026). I hope you like it! Saturn also enters Aries later in May. Aries is ruled by Mars and remember Neptune can about delusion. “There’s a fear down here we can’t forget…”We may see some unnecessary wars or acts of aggression. The high road is for us to act, to fight, to lead with brave hearts! It is time to take a stand. “It’s you and me, you and me…we’re on our own!”